Cost to Rewire a House

The cost to rewire a house is $8,000 to $30,000, or roughly $7 to $15 per square foot. A small ranch with drywall lands near the bottom. A large two-story home with plaster walls and knob-and-tube wiring lands near the top.

This guide covers what a full rewire includes, the cost per square foot, and the conditions that push the price up. It also explains when a partial rewire is enough.

What It Costs to Rewire a House

For an average 1,800 to 2,000-square-foot home, a full rewire runs $12,000 to $25,000. That replaces the branch wiring, the outlets and switches, the boxes, and usually the panel.

A smaller 1,000-square-foot home with easy access can come in at $6,000 to $12,000. A 3,000-square-foot home, or one that is occupied and fully finished, can pass $30,000.

The table below breaks the cost down by home size. The next section explains the per-square-foot figure most electricians quote from.

Cost per Square Foot

Most rewires are priced at $7 to $15 per square foot of living space. Open, single-story homes with drywall sit at the low end. Multi-story homes with plaster and lath sit at the high end.

The figure covers labor, wire, boxes, and standard devices. It usually excludes the panel, drywall patching, and painting, which are quoted separately.

Use the per-foot number for a rough budget, then get itemized quotes. Two electricians can price the same house $8,000 apart based on how they handle access and patching.

Watch how a bidder counts the square footage. Some use finished living space only; others include a basement or an attached garage they also have to wire. Confirm which, so you are comparing the same scope.

Regional Price Differences

Labor rate sets most of the spread. A rewire crew in a high-cost metro can bill two to three times a rural rate, and labor is the majority of the bill.

Permit and inspection costs also vary. A large city may charge several hundred dollars and require three separate inspections; a rural county may charge a flat fee and visit once.

Local code amendments add scope. More AFCI-protected circuits, tamper-resistant receptacles everywhere, and hardwired interconnected smoke alarms are now standard in many areas, and each one adds parts and labor across the whole house.

What a Full Rewire Includes

New wiring throughout: every branch circuit from the panel to the devices, sized to current code. New boxes, outlets, and switches, including tamper-resistant receptacles and GFCI and AFCI protection where required.

A new panel is part of nearly every rewire, because the old one rarely has the capacity or the breaker types the new circuits need. Our cost to replace an electrical panel guide covers that portion.

Rewires also add dedicated circuits for the kitchen, laundry, and bathrooms, hardwired smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, proper grounding, and often a spot for a future home EV charger.

Where the Money Goes

Labor is 60 to 70 percent of a rewire. The crew spends days fishing wire through walls, ceilings, and floors, then more days on devices, the panel, and the trim-out.

Materials are 15 to 25 percent: copper wire, boxes, breakers, and devices. The panel is a line of its own at $1,500 to $4,000.

Then there is the finish work. Patching the access holes, and the paint after, is $1,000 to $5,000 depending on the wall type and how many holes the crew had to cut.

What Drives the Price Up

Plaster and lath walls are the biggest factor. They crack when opened and are slow to patch, which can add 30 to 50 percent over a drywall home.

Two or more stories means fishing wire up through the structure, which is far slower than a single-level home. Knob-and-tube or cloth-insulated wiring means every run has to be fully replaced, not extended.

Aluminum branch wiring, a finished basement with no open joists, and living in the home during the work all add time. Code also adds scope each cycle, such as more AFCI-protected circuits.

Signs a House Needs Rewiring

Age is the first clue. Homes wired before about 1975 often have undersized service, no grounds, and insulation that has gone brittle.

Two-prong outlets throughout, a fuse box, frequent breaker trips, warm switch plates, flickering lights, or a faint burning smell all point to failing wiring. Cloth-covered or knob-and-tube wiring in the attic or basement is a clear sign. The Electrical Safety Foundation International has guidance on aging home wiring.

An inspection that flags the wiring, or an insurer that will not cover knob-and-tube, can force the project. Our Electrical cost guides can help you scope the work.

Partial Rewire as a Middle Path

You do not always need the whole house. If only the kitchen, the bathrooms, and a few problem circuits are failing, a partial rewire targets those for $3,000 to $10,000.

Partial work makes sense when part of the home was already updated, or when a remodel opens the walls in one area anyway. Rewire while the drywall is off and you save most of the patching cost.

The risk is doing it piecemeal over years and paying the mobilization and permit cost each time. If more than half the home needs it, a full rewire is usually the better value.

Permits, Inspections, and Living Arrangements

A rewire always needs a permit and multiple inspections: a rough-in inspection before the walls close, and a final after the devices and panel are done.

Expect the power to be off in sections for hours at a time over several days. Many families move out for a week or two on a full rewire, or at least plan around days with no kitchen or heat.

Keep every permit and signed inspection. A documented rewire is a strong selling point; an undocumented one raises questions.

How to Keep the Cost Down

First, combine the rewire with a remodel or a re-side, when walls or sheathing are already open. Access is most of the cost.

Second, get three detailed quotes and confirm what each includes for the panel, patching, and paint. Third, ask about a phased plan that still pulls one permit.

Fourth, do the demolition and the post-work painting yourself if you are able. Those are the safe, non-code parts of the job.

Choosing an Electrician for a Rewire

A rewire is a big job, so vet the crew carefully. Confirm the state license number, check that the liability and workers compensation insurance is current, and call two recent references with homes of a similar age and size.

Ask how many whole-house rewires they do a year. A shop that does one or two will be slower and more likely to hit surprises than one that does a dozen.

Read the contract for scope and payment. It should name the panel size, list what patching is included, spell out the inspection milestones, and tie payments to those milestones rather than a large deposit up front.

Bottom Line

Budget $12,000 to $25,000 to rewire an average house, or $7 to $15 per square foot. Add for plaster walls, extra stories, knob-and-tube removal, and living on site during the work.

Rewire when the home predates the mid-1970s and shows two-prong outlets, a fuse box, or failing circuits. Time it with a remodel if you can. If only a few areas are bad, price a partial rewire and our smaller electrical jobs first, and remember the panel is usually part of the package.